Past Meetings

2009 Spring Conference | Coeur d"Alene

William Cohan | Keynote Speaker

William D. Cohan, who spent 17 years on Wall Street and has just published “House of Cards,” a book about the fall of one of his former employers, Bear Stearns, and the collapse of Wall Street, will be the lunch keynote speaker Sunday, May 17 in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.

Cohan combines a deep knowledge of the investment banking world with the storytelling skills from his days as an award-winning investigative newspaper journalist. During his time on Wall Street, he held executive positions with Lazard Frères, Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase. He left his position as managing director at JPMorgan Chase to write the bestselling book, “The Last Tycoons” and writes regularly for The Daily Beast, Fortune, ArtNews and The Financial Times. He has also contributed to The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Matt Miller | Keynote Speaker

Matt Miller, a Fortune magazine columnist, public radio host and author of the book, “The Tyranny of Dead Ideas,” will deliver a breakfast keynote address Monday, May 18, in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, and moderate the discussion of a panel of governors who will talk about the impact of the ailing economy on state budgets.

Miller is also a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the host of the public radio program, Left, Right & Center. Miller served in the Clinton White House from 1993 to 1995, as a senior advisor in the Office of Management and Budget. He was also a White House Fellow, serving as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1991 to 1992, according to his Web site, www.mattmilleronline.com.

Brian Russon | Technology Working Group Speaker

As industry strategist for the Health Solutions Group at Microsoft Corp., Brian Russon is responsible for overall strategy and business development for the health plan, employer, and state and federal government segments, ensuring strategy is aligned across different divisions of the health care ecosystem.

Before joining Microsoft in March 2008, Russon served as vice president of business development with Ingenix, a UnitedHealth Group company focused on health care analytics and services, where he led the development of business strategies across new markets.Russon’s tenure with Ingenix provided him deep analytical exposure to all segments of health care, including employers, health plans, providers and pharmacy, as well as local, state and federal government.

Before his work at Ingenix, Russon was a national sales director with Intel Corporation, managing a nationwide sales team focused on selling high end server deployments into Fortune 500 companies. Russon holds an undergraduate degree in English from Weber State University and currently resides with his family in Salt Lake City.

Renee Radcliff Sinclair | Transportation Policy Task Force Speaker

Renee Radcliff Sinclair is northwest regional director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She is leading the organization’s effort to expand and strengthen relationships with Chamber member businesses, associations and chambers of commerce throughout the Northwest, including Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

Before joining the Chamber, Sinclair served four terms in the Washington state House of Representatives following 14 years as a journalist. While serving in the legislature, she garnered a number of awards and honors, including being named to the American Council of Young Political Leaders and as a fellow to the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs.Also while serving in the state legislature, Sinclair was president and CEO of the Everett, Wash., Area Chamber of Commerce.

Marc Spitzer | Energy and Environment Policy Task Force Speaker

Commissioner Marc Spitzer was nominated by President George W. Bush to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission where he works to ensure safe, economic and reliable supplies of electricity and natural gas for America’s citizens.Spitzer’s priorities are the expansion of and improvements to the nation’s transmission and natural gas pipeline systems. A former Arizona state senator, Spitzer served in the legislature as chair of the Judiciary and Finance committees and was elected by his peers to the position of Senate majority leader in 1996. Spitzer is also past chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commission, where he focused on policies encouraging expansion of natural gas infrastructure, specifically distribution and storage; creating a demand side management policy; enhancing the commission’s renewables standard; and advancing consumer privacy concerns in telecommunications

Ron Crane | Financial Services Working Group Speaker

As Idaho State Treasurer, Ron Crane is responsible for management of both the state and local government investment pools with a daily balance in excess of $2.2 billion. He directs receipt of all state monies, the accounting and disbursement of public funds, invests general account and pooled agency cash in government securities, bank certificates of deposit and commercial paper to produce significant new non-tax revenue for the State of Idaho. He oversees issuance of instruments of state debt and pays all warrants issued by the State Controller's Office. He directs the investments of the Idaho Millennium Fund which can be invested in the stock market.

Crane received a national award from the U.S. Small Business Administration for innovative programs that provide capital to Idaho small businesses by founding the Prime Rate Loan Program know as "Idaho Prime." Prior to his election as Treasurer in 1998, Crane served 16 years in the Idaho House of Representatives. Crane will speak at the Financial Services Working Group meeting from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

Lerry J. Knox | Financial Services Working Group Speaker

Lerry Knox is an investment banker who specializes in debt capital markets and public-private partnerships financings. Knox joined Loop Capital Markets in 2007 to head the firm’s Project Finance Group, which incorporates higher education, health care and public power practice areas. Knox’s experience includes more than 10 years of project engineering and program management experience and more than nine years of financial services experience. Prior to joining Loop Capital Markets, Knox was an equity options and derivatives trader and investment banker at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Knox’s extensive structuring and execution expertise and has helped create optimal financing and project finance structures for highly sophisticated issuers across all issuing segments. As Head of Project Finance, Mr. Knox has significant experience providing financial planning services to governmental and nonprofit organizations.